Guest Opinion: William Paparian: I Was Evacuated in the Eaton Fire. Pasadena Must Fight to Keep Our Landlines

On the evening of January 7, 2025, as fierce Santa Ana winds whipped through the San Gabriel foothills, I was among the thousands ordered to evacuate as the Eaton Fire exploded out of Eaton Canyon. Power flickered and failed across neighborhoods. Cell service became unreliable. In the darkness and chaos, clear information and the ability to make a call were anything but guaranteed.

The Eaton Fire destroyed thousands of homes, claimed lives, and tested our emergency systems to the breaking point. Widespread power outages—tens to hundreds of thousands of customers affected—hampered cell towers and Wireless Emergency Alerts. After-action reviews documented delays and inconsistencies in evacuation warnings, especially in vulnerable foothill areas. Some residents received little or no notice before flames arrived. 911 calls captured raw panic. In those moments, every reliable communication channel was a potential lifeline.

Traditional copper landlines remain uniquely valuable in such disasters. Unlike wireless or internet-based phones, they carry their own low-voltage power from the central office and often continue to function even when local electricity is out. They support home alarm systems, smoke detectors, and medical alert devices that many residents—particularly seniors and those with health conditions—depend upon. In Pasadena’s canyon and hillside neighborhoods, where cell coverage has long been spotty, landlines have served as a proven backup.

Yet AT&T is moving aggressively to retire copper landline service for roughly 184,000 California households and businesses. The company cites declining usage and high maintenance costs. With FCC approval providing a pathway forward, the utility argues modern wireless alternatives are superior. But the Eaton Fire demonstrated the fragility of systems dependent on both home power and cell infrastructure. When the grid fails and networks strain, those “modern” solutions can fail at the exact moment we need them most

.Pasadena lived through this reality. Our city was directly in the fire’s path. We cannot afford to dismantle a resilient layer of our emergency communications infrastructure before truly equivalent replacements are proven under disaster conditions.

I urge the Pasadena City Council to act decisively. The Council’s Legislative Policy Committee should immediately place this matter on its agenda and recommend that the full Council adopt a resolution:

• Opposing the premature retirement of copper landlines in high wildfire-risk zones.
• Calling on the FCC and California Public Utilities Commission to require rigorous, independent testing of any replacements in real-world emergency scenarios.
• Directing city staff to coordinate with state and federal officials to protect service for alarm systems, medical devices, and basic voice access in Pasadena.

This is not resistance to progress—it is responsible governance. Pasadena has always prided itself on preparedness and protecting our most vulnerable residents. Preserving reliable landlines as a disaster-resilient backup honors the lessons of the Eaton Fire and strengthens our city for whatever challenges lie ahead.

William Paparian is a former Mayor of Pasadena and longtime resident of the city.